Printed publication



Nov. 21, 1939. v. J. sAwDoN Er Au PRINTED PUBLICATION Filed Jan. 5, 1957 e sheets-'sheet s Nov. 21, .1939. v. J. sAwDoN r`AL 2180,551

PRINTED PUBLICATIN Filed Jan. 5, 1937 '6 Sheets-Sheet 4 Fig. 4.

Nov. 21, 1939. v. J. sAwDoN Er AL PRINTED PUBLlGATION 6 'She'ets-Sheet 5 Filed Jan. 5. 1957 INVENTOR.

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Patented Nov. 21, 1939 UNITED STATES PRINTED PUBLICATION Victor J. Sawdon, Bronxville, N. Y., and Arthur E. Brigham, Worcester, Mass.

Application January 5, 1937, Serial No. 119,062

6 Claims.

This invention relates to a publication, such as a mail-order catalog made up oi several signatures, especially to a publication provided with a return mail facility, and more particularly to a publication having a complete envelope structure bound in with the signatures.

An object of the invention is to provide a publication of the above class with a complete envelope formed as unitary structure with an order blank, this structure constituting an element of the nature of a signature, in that it is adapted to be assembled with' the component signatures upon the saddle of a binder, and secured by the same conventional staples, stitches or other securing means used to secure the signatures and the cover in assembled relation.

A cognate object is to provide such a composite envelope and order blank unit with a common stitchable strip, preferably creased to facilitate mounting upon a saddle during assembly of the signatures, and from which strip the complete envelope may be readily detached, and from which the order blank may also be likewise detached readily, for the purpose of lling in the order blank and remailing it in the envelope to the original sender, or to any designated addressee.

in a unitary structure a pair of complete envelopes each with its associated order blank, so

disposed that the duplex envelope structure thereby constituted can be fabricated in a conventional two-up assembly of signatures; that is to say, an assembly in which each signature .35 in Siamesed in integral relation with another signature of identical format, the connection being severable-after completion of the saddlestitch binding operationusually by a severing cut which'serves not only to part the signatures into two complete books or magazines, (such as two mail order catalogs), but also at the same time, trims one edge of each such book, etc.

The other edges of the assembled signatures are usually trimmed upon the disseverance of the Siamese connection-preferably after such disseverance-and it is another object of the present invention to provide for such disposition of the combined envelope-and-order blank unit that each envelope component will be untouched by said trimming operations, while the edges of the order blank may, or may not, be trimmed, as desired.

This object of the invention includes the provision of envelope and order blank units so disposed in their signature relationship as to conform to the two-up assembly of signatures, whether the signatures be printed head-to-head orfoot-tofoot or foot-to-head, it being a feature of the invention that the readable matter on the order blanks shall be right-side-up with respect tothe text of the signatures with which they are respectively associated in the assembly of signatures in the complete publication; or, alternatively, that the printed matter on the order blank shall be readily legible without awkward turning'of the catalog, book or magazine.

A further object of the invention is to provide a yer catalog with a composite envelopel and order blank structure in whichthe order blank sheet is of such size that it must be folded 'upon itself to allow it to lie within the connes of the leaves of the catalog; and inasmuch as such fliers are customarily mailed withouta wrapper, thel .leaves being loose relatively toeach other,.this

feature of the invention includesas an object a provision for attaching the corners of the infolded'portion of the order blank lightly to an inner margin of the order blank, near the stitch line, so that the order blank will not unfold if the catalog be held at anytime by the back, i. e., along the .line of stitching,4 nor at times when .the signatures are being assembled upon `the saddle, dangling freely in suspended position would almost certainly escape from the coni-lues of the signatures in the'absence of the light attachment herein disclosed.

Other objects and features of the invention will bemade to appear as the description of the inwhich the folded-in edgev of the order blank i plete mail-order catalogs, and provided with a Fig. 3 is a plan view, similar to Fig. 1, in which is shown a modified arrangement of envelopes and order blanks, associated with a two-up assembly of signatures, disposed in known footto-foot relation;

Fig. 4 is a plan view, similar to Fig. 1, in which lis shown a modied arrangement of envelopes 'and order blanks, associated with a two-up assembly of signatures, disposed in known headto-head relation;

Fig. 5 is a plan view of a composite envelopeand-order blank structure, adapted to be bound in as a signature with other signatures of conventional form, in the fabrication of a publication, such as a mail-order catalog.

Fig. 6 is a plan view of a modified composite envelope-and-communication-blank structure.

In a now-preferred embodiment of the invention, referring particularly to Fig. 1 of the drawings, the parts designated by the reference characters Il and l2 are signatures, each formed of a printed sheet suitably folded to constitute part of such a publication as a mail-order catalog, the particular form of signature illustrated being of the character known to the printing art as two-up, by which is meant that each composite signature, as illustrated, includes two complete signtaure components, of substantially identical form, made from a single sheet of paper, and so disposed that upon their disseverance, as by a cut along the line D in Fig. 1, they will be parted into two individually complete-signatures each adapted to form a complete publication.

The reference character C designates a cover component, which may be regarded as a signature in the assembly illustrated, which is of the known saddle stitch type the signatures being assembled upon a saddle in a binder and there fastened together by suitable stitching material, in the present instance wire staples, as indicated at I3, this being conventional usage, which does not require further description.

In pursuance of the present invention, provision is made of a composite, duplex, quasi-signature structure, designated generally by the reference character E adapted to be assembled on the saddle of the binding machine with the other signatures, including the cover, and there bound in with the leaves of the signatures, being united therewith by the stitches or staples I3.

As in the case of the conventional two-up signatures Il, l2 and cover C, the composite bound-in envelope structure E is duplex in character, comprising two complete envelopes, E and E" and two order blanks O and O, these elements being made of a single sheet of paper and so disposed that the envelope E adjoins its complemental order blank O along a region which is defined generally by the stitching line, designated B in Fig. 1, and which may desirably be scored, to aid in assembling the quasi-signature E accurately upon the saddle of the binder, with the other signatures, including the cover C.

Similarly the envelope E adjoins its complemental order blank O along a continuation of the line B, for the same purpose, and the two order blanks adjoin each other along the portion D of the line D, so that upon disseverance of the signatures as above described, the order blanks are simultaneously parted from each other by the severing cut, which acts also to trim the respective edges of the signatures, covers and composite order blank thus dissevered.

It is t be noted at this point-that the sheet material of the order blanks O" and O"Vl is preferably of such dimensions as to be trimmed when the other edges of the component signatures are trimmed, as by cuts along the lines D2 and D3, in known fashion, which cuts may be effected selectively before or after disseverance at D, D.

Ordinarily, for the sake of providing an order blank of satisfactory length, the order blank O and the order blank O are doubled upon themselves respectively, so that their fold lines F' and F" are disposed respectively within the region dened by an outer cut lin'e D13, along which the free edges of the signatures may be trimmed in due course, leaving the folds F and F" unharmed, the infolded parts or panels of the order blanks terminating preferably, as illustrated at lll, short of the crease B, so that they are not held by the stitches.

In further pursuance of the invention, each envelope E', E is removable from the publication separately from the complemental order blank, and each order blank O' and O is likewise independently removable, and in order to facilitate such removal the order blanks are respectively provided, each with an easy tear line, as l5, and each complete envelope structure is provided with an easy tear line, as at I6, along which, respectively the order blank as O may be torn away from the bound-in portion I1 between the lines l and I6, and the envelope, as E', may be similarly torn away, leaving the bound-in strip ll in place.

The order blank may be printed with informative matter relating to the goods constituting the subject-matter of the catalog; also with order spaces to be filled in; and with legends instructing the prospective purchaser how to detach the order blank and envelope; how to fill in the blank, and how to mail the envelope with the order blank and remittance enclosed.

It will be noted that preferably the order blanks each have a shoulder portion l 8, the same being designed to aid in aligning the composite structure E properly with the signatures when assembled upon the saddle of the building machine.

This last-named provision makes it possible to dispose the envelope, as E either at the midregion of the stitch line, or at a region nearer the mid-line D, or nearer the cut lines as D2 or D3, without danger of the envelope being harmed in trimming. It is not necessary to have any part of the envelope proper extend beyond its side edges 2l and 22, and on the contrary, it is preferred to have the sealing flap 20 of a length somewhat less than that of the envelope, as shown in Fig. 1.

This flap is shown as having the usual gummed sealing area i9, the gum preferably terminating short of the easy tear line i6, for reasons known in the art of making envelopes.

The form of envelope illustrated in Fig. 1 is of the known type in which side flaps 23 and 24 are both folded over, and secured to the rear panel 25 by elongated gummed areas 26.

A somewhat simpler and less expensive type of envelope is shown in the modification illustrated in Figs. 2, 3 and 4 respectively, this known type being characterized by having only one of the side flaps, as 2l, secured to the rear flap 28 by an elongated intervening gummed area 25, while the other upright edge 29 is secured directly to the rear face of the front panel 3| of the envelope, as by an elongated gummed area 30.

In this type of envelope, the sealing flap 32 is free from attachment, the union of the complete envelope structure, designated E3, to a complemental order blank O3, being provided for by paper strip 33 formed integrally with the panel 3l of the envelope, as an extension beyond the side margin 29 of the rear panel of the envelope.

In pursuance of the invention, an easy tear line 34 aids the ready detachment of the envelope E3 from the publication, and a similar easy tear line 35 aids in the detachment of the adjoining order blank O3, the strip 33 being preferably provided with a scored line 36 adapted to facilitate emplacement of the composite envelopeorder blank signatures as part of an assembly of printed signatures 3l and cover components 38 upon the saddle of a saddle-stitch when preparing to stitch them together, as by stitches I3, like those already described with respect to Fig. 1.

Fig, 2 discloses also a two-up arrangement of signatures, embodying printed sheets adapted to be parted into two complete publications, such as mail order catalogs, by disseverance along a line of cut D5 which extends between the foot of one signature and the head of another signature, this arrangement being known to the industry as a two-up, foot-to-head arrangement of signatures.

It will be observed that the order blanks O3 and O4 preferably each has its printed matter readable from top to bottom, like the conventional signatures with which it is assembled, and the envelopes E3 and Eil. may likewise have the address on their front panels (not shown) similarly disposed.

As in the structure of Fig. 1, the trimming of the signatures along lines D2 and D3 will not interfere with, or mar, the envelopes E3 and Eli, either in the position shown each relatively near the top of its companion signatures, or in other positions, for which there may be a considerable tolerance.

Indeed, the position of an envelope of the type shown in Figs. 2 and 3, may, as illustrated in Fig. 3, be so close to the free upper or lower margin of the companion signatures that when a trimming cut is made, as at D5 or Dl in Fig. 3, the cut may trim off an edge of the sealing flap 4S, as at 39. The same reference characters have been applied to these like parts of the envelopes E5 and E6 in Fig. 3, for the reason that those parts are of identically similar structure, the envelopes only diifering in the respect that E6 is upside down, thus conforming to the printing on the two-up signatures All and 42 which have the positions relatively to each other known as foot-to-foot, before disseverance on the line D8. The two catalogs formed by such disseverance are of course readable in the same sense by inverting the lower signatures 42, when the order blank and the address on the envelope will be presented in the same sense as the printed text on the signatures.

As the provisions for detachment of the envelopes E5 and E6, and of the order blanks O5 and O6 are identical in every respect with those shown and described with reference to the structure shown in Fig. 2, like characters of reference have been applied, and the description of the Fig. 2 structure reads upon that of Fig. 3 and will not be repeated. It may be noted that while the aggregate length of the order blanks O5 and Ot equals that of the two-up signatures, and has the same advantages from the standpoint of accurate alignment upon the saddle of' the binding machine, and in trimming, the envelopes E5 and E6 are conveniently disposed for removal, and are so placed as to be severed by two stitches I3 rerangement of the printed signatures head-to" head, and an instance of sucharrangement i..

is illustrated in Fig. 4.

Inasmuch as the structural features of the envelope components El and E8 in connection with their complemental order blank components O1 and O8 are identical .with those of the structure shown in Fig. 3, in every respect, the only difference being that in Fig. 4- the envelopes are shown with their sealing flaps 4U, extending toward the line of disseverance D9, 4and the order blanks O1 and O8 are adapted to conform in reading position with that of the printed textof the conventional signatures, 4the corresponding parts have been provided with like charac-ters of reference, and reference may be had for their description to the description of parts similarly characterized in Fig. 2.

In a now-preierred embodiment of the invention, referring particularly to Fig. 5, the part designated by the reference character S is one signature component of a publication which is illustratively constituted by a printed sheet folded to form what is known as a iiyer catalog in which there may be as many such signatures as desired, the catalog being intended for mailing without any confining envelope or wrapper, and it is therefore quite essential that it shall retain in the mail a fiat condition, without loosely disposed leaves likely to flutter out of the publication during transportation.

It is also desirable that any component of the nature of a signature, in such a publication, shall maintain a balanced condition upon the saddle of a saddle-stitch binding machine while the signatures are in course of assembly and during the operation of stitching them together.

Under such conditions it is an object of the present invention to provide, in the form of a quasi-signature, a composite envelope and order blank structure which may be bound in with a signature, or assembly of signatures, as in a mail order catalog of the flyer type, and which, while providing for a desirably long order form by folding vin a part of the leaf constituting the blank, will also be provided for securing temporarily the inturned edge of theblank, sol that the same may be easily loosened and unfolded for use.

In Fig. 5, the reference character Olii designates the order blank generally, and B designates the folded-in portion thereof, the free edge 3 thereof being secured temporarily in pursuance of this feature of the invention, as by spots of gum 4, under each corner 5 and li of the leaf. The fold l is preferably disposed withinV the region deiined by the dash-dot line 8 where a trimming cut may be applied, so that the blank will not be mutilated.

At the region designated by the dotted line 9 the body of the order blank adjoins the margin i@ of a complete envelope structure Els preferably formed integrally out of the same sheet of which the order blank is made. y

In the instance illustrated, the margin strip lll constitutes a marginal extension of the sealing flap F of the envelope structure, the latter being of a known form comprising a front panel P', a rear panel P, and infolded side flaps F and F over which the rear panel is extended, Vbeing secured thereto by gumrned areas G.

The sealing flap F has a gummed area G' which preferably terminates short of a scored line L, the latter constituting an easy tear line along which the complete envelop EIO may be readily torn away, leaving the marginal binding strip iii in place.

The easy tear line il, along which the order blank Olii and the marginal extension lll thereof adjoin, is preferably scored to form a crease, so that the composite order blank envelope signature may be accurately aligned with conventional printed signatures upon the saddle of a binding machine, on which the assembled signatures are fastened together, as by wire stitches I3.

When the order blank Oi-B is to be detached, it will tear away from the binding stitches easily along the scored line 9.

The order blank Oi may desirably be coextensive in width with the length of the leaves of the catalog, having Shoulders O which aid in aligning the composite order-blank-envelope structure with the other signatures for assembly. The complete envelope element E46 is illustrated as disposed substantially at the mid-region of the signature, but may be otherwise disposed, and the structure of the envelope may vary from that herein shown by way of illustration.

By showing the union of the envelope to the binding margin It of the order blank as eiected along the forward edge of the sealing iiap, it is not intended to exclude the provision of a union between the order blank and some other region of the envelope, as for example with one of the flaps F' or F, in which event the selected ap will be so disposed as to extend out in the plane of the front panel P and the rear panel P may be adhered to the rear face of the front panel by a suitable gummed area at substantially the position of that designated G.

When assembled, as illustrated, with printed signatures of a yer catalog, the order blank Olii and the envelope Eli) will respectively lie in flat relationship with the contiguous leaves of the other signatures, and the temporary attachments at will prevent the order blank portion B from unfolding and fluttering, either at the time of its assembly on the saddle for stitching, or when the ilyer is in the mail, even without an envelope or wrapper, thus carrying into effect this stated object of the invention.

InFig. 6 we have shown a modified form of quasi signature in which a complete envelope E6 is formed as a unitary structure with a communication blank Oli adapted to be detached from, and enclosed and mailed in, said envelope, as in the instance of the structure illustrated in, and described with reference to, Fig. 5, the corresponding parts in these two iigures bearing like reference characters, so that the description of the general details of construction common to the forms shown in Fig. 5 and Fig. 6 respectively, and the mode of operation, so far as common to both, need not be repeated.

The modication illustrated in Fig. 6, however, differs from that shown in Fig. 5 in the important respect that the scoring, crease or fold line 9x which denes the binding line, constitutes also the sole easy tear line along which the envelope and blank are partible, each from the other, so that the structure of this novel article is completely and readily removable from the printed publication by the very act of parting its components E6 and Oli.

In this instance, it may be noted that the ap B is temporarily attached to the body of the blank only at one corner spot, as at fl, and it will be readily understood that such single securement may be used in the Fig. 5 structure. It is also to be noted that the expression order blank and communication blank as used in the specification and claims are intended to be interchangeable, and are not used in a limitative sense.

We have described what we believe to be the best embodiments of our invention. We do not wish, however, to be confined to the embodiments shown, but what we desire to cover by Letters Patent, is set forth in the appended claims.

We claim:

1. In a printed publication, the combination with a conventional printed signature component, of a composite signature component bound therewith and comprising a complete envelope element and an order blank element respectively adjoining ea-ch other in the region of the line of binding by which said signatures are fastened together, the order blank extending a substantial distance, heightwise, beyond the envelope in at least one direction and formed with an aligning and positioning edge to space the envelope from the upper and lower boundaries of the publication, said composite signature component including an intermediate binding Zone integral with the envelope and order blank elements and attached to the publication, said binding Zone being formed with periorations to facilitate separation of said elements from the publication.

2. In a printed publication, the combination with a conventional duplex printed signature component, including two disseverable signatures, of a composite duplex signature component bound therewith and comprising two disseverable order blank elements and two complete envelope elements each envelope and order blank element adjoining a marginal extension common to both at the line of binding by which said signatures are fastened together, the order blanks, extending a substantial distance, heightwise, beyond the envelopes in at least one direction and formed with an aligning and positioning edge to space the envelopes from the upper and lower boundaries of the publication, and separable means whereby each element may be readily detached from said signature assembly independently of the other.

i 3. In a printed publication, the combination with a conventional duplex printed signature component, including two disseverable signatures, of a composite duplex signature component bound therewith and comprising two disseverable order blank elements and two complete envelope elements each envelope and order blank element adjoining a marginal extension common to both at the line of binding by which said signatures are fastened together, the order blanks extending a substantial distance, heightwise, beyond the envelopes in at least one direction and formed with an aligning and positioning edge to space the envelopes from the upper and lower boundaries of the publication, and the marginal extension having easy tear lines whereby each element may be readily detached from said signature assembly independently of the other, and said order blank elements adjoining each other at the line of disseverance between said duplex signatures being disseverable therewith to constitute two complete publications.

4. In a printed publication, the combination with an assembly of duplex two-up printed signature components, including two complete sets of integrally formed printed signatures each adapted to constitute a complete publication when said sets are dissevered from each other, of a composite complemental duplex two-up signature component bound therewith and comprising in a unitary structure a pair of complete envelope elements and a pair of order blank elements respectively connected to each other by an extension of the flap portion of the envelope element in the region of the line of binding by which said signatures are fastened together, the order blanks extending a substantial distance, heightwise, beyond the envelopes in at least one direction and formed with an aligning and positioning edge to space the envelope from the upper and lower boundaries of the publication, and means whereby each element may be readily detached from said signature assembly independently of the other.

5. In a printed publication, the combination with a conventional printed signature component, of a composite signature component bound therewith and comprising a complete envelope formed as a unitary structure with a communication blank adapted to be enclosed and mailed in the envelope; said structure including a web joining said envelope and blank togetherI and adapted to be bound as a signature in saddle stitch formation with other signatures of a printed publication, having an easy tear line to dene the binding line and along which the en- Velope and blank are partible, each from the other, said structure being completely removable from said publication When its components are thus parted.

6. A composite envelope and order blank adapted for binding in a printed publication, comprising a complete envelope element and an order blank element adjoining one another through a binding zone, the order blank extending lengthwise of the binding zone for a substantial distance beyond the envelope in at least one direction and terminating in an aligning and positioning edge which extends transversely of the binding Zone, whereby the aligning and positioning edge may be utilized for mechanically locating the envelope between the upper and lower boundaries of the publication with the upper and lower edges of the envelope spaced from the corresponding edges of the publication, and said binding zone being formed with perforations to facilitate separation of said elements from one another.

ARTHUR E. BRIGl-IAM.

VICTOR J. SAWDON. 

